Allergy, Panic Attack or What?

[aburgUK]

Hi Everybody,

Have been vaping for a couple of months and am struggling to get to the bottom of an issue that I'm worried will end up causing me to have to quit forever

Stopped smoking analogues last december and tried NRT (gum, lozenges and spray). Didn't get on too badly with these but did have some minor issues with stomach acid and constipation so decided to try vaping with disposable look-alikes. Really got into vaping and now have various VV mods and tanks etc.

Made the same mistake as a lot of people make (I think) and started vaping too high nic. I got upto 24 mg but I hadn't smoked for several weeks and I think I OD'd. Since this I've had a lot of allergy issues which have at times been quite worrying so I've been through the usual process of trying to eliminate the cause but the results of this have been very confusing and inconclusive.

I think that I probably have an intolerance to PG as high level mixes make me feel a quite spaced out and can give me a headache. I moved onto low nic (as low as 4mg), pure VG (including flavoring and nic base) but this gives me fairly severe allergic reactions including rashes itching and a really hot and unwell feeling.

Have tried VG and 50/50 PG/VG with no nic and this seems better but I still get some allergic reaction to this. I started to think that I had developed an allergy to nicotine and still think that this may be the case but the strange thing is that if I keep vaping I seem to be able to break through the wall and then I can chain vape. Tonight for example I was comfortably vaping 80/20 PG/VG 12 mg with no serious symptoms. The only thing I've yet to try is 100% PG but I hadn't bothered because this definitely gives me a foggy head.

The weird thing is that at different times I seem to be able to tolerate high levels of PG, VG and nic so it is very hard to pin it down. Perhaps it's not even an allergy but some sort of panic attack associated with ODing?

Has anyone experienced anything like this please?

Thanks

 

[autobiogphnation]

Have you tried 100% VG liquid?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[doots]

The one way to track down what it is I think is to just vape some pg by itself, then Vg by itself and see if it one of those 2 things causing you problems.. Of course without Nic. Then by adding Nic to see. Isolate what it is will probably be the way to go on this. Good luck!

 

[aburgUK]

Have you tried 100% VG liquid?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Yep, from 3 different vendors, one hand made with definitely no PG whatsoever. Have had some bad reactions with VG but not so bad with zero nic VG. Thanks for your reply.

 

[aburgUK]

The one way to track down what it is I think is to just vape some pg by itself, then Vg by itself and see if it one of those 2 things causing you problems.. Of course without Nic. Then by adding Nic to see. Isolate what it is will probably be the way to go on this. Good luck!

Actually pure PG is the only thing I haven't tried so I'll order some today in 6mg and zero no flavours. Thanks for your reply.

 

[edyle]

Hi Everybody,

Have been vaping for a couple of months and am struggling to get to the bottom of an issue that I'm worried will end up causing me to have to quit forever

Stopped smoking analogues last december and tried NRT (gum, lozenges and spray). Didn't get on too badly with these but did have some minor issues with stomach acid and constipation so decided to try vaping with disposable look-alikes. Really got into vaping and now have various VV mods and tanks etc.

Made the same mistake as a lot of people make (I think) and started vaping too high nic. I got upto 24 mg but I hadn't smoked for several weeks and I think I OD'd. Since this I've had a lot of allergy issues which have at times been quite worrying so I've been through the usual process of trying to eliminate the cause but the results of this have been very confusing and inconclusive.

I think that I probably have an intolerance to PG as high level mixes make me feel a quite spaced out and can give me a headache. I moved onto low nic (as low as 4mg), pure VG (including flavoring and nic base) but this gives me fairly severe allergic reactions including rashes itching and a really hot and unwell feeling.

Have tried VG and 50/50 PG/VG with no nic and this seems better but I still get some allergic reaction to this. I started to think that I had developed an allergy to nicotine and still think that this may be the case but the strange thing is that if I keep vaping I seem to be able to break through the wall and then I can chain vape. Tonight for example I was comfortably vaping 80/20 PG/VG 12 mg with no serious symptoms. The only thing I've yet to try is 100% PG but I hadn't bothered because this definitely gives me a foggy head.

The weird thing is that at different times I seem to be able to tolerate high levels of PG, VG and nic so it is very hard to pin it down. Perhaps it's not even an allergy but some sort of panic attack associated with ODing?

Has anyone experienced anything like this please?

Thanks

First off; with vaping the nicotine takes alot longer to kick in than with smoking.

Second; if you are chain vaping already, then you really got to drop down from 12mg I suspect; 12 and 24 should be good if you're using it like smoking where you maybe take a 5 min vape every hour or 2 but if you're chain vaping at 12mg and you already ODd recently, I'd use a lower nic level.

If 50/50 4mg is workable best to stick with that for a while; if you keep changing up to much at the start you won't be sure what is causing what;

and don't forget to keep hydrated; I drink 2 liters of water for an hour before going to bed

 

[Rickajho]

Hmmm...

Nic OD could give you a headache, but that wouldn't be an isolated symptom. If you made yourself nic sick that headache would most likely be combined with other things palpitations, rapid pulse, anxiety or a feeling like caffeine jitters.

I have heard the complaint about feeling foggy or spacey before, but I'm not certain what people are attributing that too. It's a pretty rare complaint.

Do you have allergies already in place? What you are describing don't sound like typical seasonal allergies, but the last couple spring pollen seasons have been absolutely brutal - even if you take antihistamines. What I'm getting at is an added layer of allergic reaction to seasonal junk can make what you are trying to figure out with vaping even more difficult to sort out as to where a seasonal allergy problem leaves off and a vaping issue begins.

 

[aburgUK]

Hi, I've not vaped anything higher than 12mg for weeks and most of the time much less. I have been as low as 2mg pure VG recently. It's starting to look like VG is the main problem. Today I mixed some 80PG/20VG 11mg juice with an equal amount of pure PG giving me 90PG/10VG at 5.5mg and after an initial foggy nauseas feeling for about 20 minutes I'm feeling much better on it.

Im going to order some flavour from T Juice in the UK, they sell the flavour concentrates for their juices in pure PG with no nic. I'll get some PG nic from TW and mix my own 100% PG at about 6mg and see how that goes. There is another post somewhere on this forum (can't find it now I'm afraid) from someone who had the same issues with VG and eventually settled down on 100% PG.

What has really caused confusion is that all my symptoms seemed like a classic PG allergy but it seems that maybe VG can give very similar problems.

Thanks for your suggestions and I will pay particular attention to drinking plenty of water.

Will keep you posted.

 

[Katmar]

Water is essential, no matter what. Allergies or none.

Good luck in figuring this out. I am sure you will eventually find the culprit. Meantime, lots of water.

 

[Sarin]

Do you vape in an enclosed area? Do these things happen when you're vaping outside? Perhaps try vaping out the back door for a week rather than in the lounge? A nicotine allergy is unlikely as nicotine is a naturally occurring alkaloid that is in many vegetables and you've used NRT in the past. **I AM NOT A DOCTOR, THESE ARE JUST MY THOUGHTS** As other have stated above, dropping the nic level would be a start. What you are describing with the stomach acid and constipation problems are often the side effects of nicotine withdrawl, could be that you're still suffering from giving up the analogs?

 

[edyle]

Hi, I've not vaped anything higher than 12mg for weeks and most of the time much less. I have been as low as 2mg pure VG recently. It's starting to look like VG is the main problem. Today I mixed some 80PG/20VG 11mg juice with an equal amount of pure PG giving me 90PG/10VG at 5.5mg and after an initial foggy nauseas feeling for about 20 minutes I'm feeling much better on it.

Im going to order some flavour from T Juice in the UK, they sell the flavour concentrates for their juices in pure PG with no nic. I'll get some PG nic from TW and mix my own 100% PG at about 6mg and see how that goes. There is another post somewhere on this forum (can't find it now I'm afraid) from someone who had the same issues with VG and eventually settled down on 100% PG.

What has really caused confusion is that all my symptoms seemed like a classic PG allergy but it seems that maybe VG can give very similar problems.

Thanks for your suggestions and I will pay particular attention to drinking plenty of water.

Will keep you posted.

PG allergy seems to be more common but I have heard of VG allergy too.

If you're vg allergic, then you're going to need more hydration than people like me who use more vg stuff. PG is more dehydrating than vg.

 

[ShariR]

No one seems to have mentioned the flavorings in this equation. People can be allergic or sensitive to the flavorings. Especially cinnamons and custards. I can not vape those flavors. I find I get a heavy chest feeling with high vg juices.

Drink lots of water, no matter what.

 

[jaytee7]

Hi Everybody,

Have been vaping for a couple of months and am struggling to get to the bottom of an issue that I'm worried will end up causing me to have to quit forever

Stopped smoking analogues last december and tried NRT l(gum, lozenges and spray). Didn't get on too badly with these but did have some minor issues with stomach acid and constipation so decided to try vaping with disposable look- alikes. Really got into vaping and now have various VV mods and tanks etc.

Made the same mistake as a lot of people make (I think) and started vaping too high nic. I got upto 24 mg but I hadn't smoked for several weeks and I think I OD'd. Since this I've had a lot of allergy issues which have at times been quite worrying so I've been through the usual process of trying to eliminate the cause but the results of this have been very confusing and inconclusive.

I think that I probably have an intolerance to PG as high level mixes make me feel a quite spaced out and can give me a headache. I moved onto low nic (as low as 4mg), pure VG (including flavoring and nic base) but this gives me fairly severe allergic reactions including rashes itching and a really hot and unwell feeling.

Have tried VG and 50/50 PG/VG with no nic and this seems better but I still get some allergic reaction to this. I started to think that I had developed an allergy to nicotine and still think that this may be the case but the strange thing is that if I keep vaping I seem to be able to break through the wall and then I can chain vape. Tonight for example I was comfortably vaping 80/20 PG/VG 12 mg with no serious symptoms. The only thing I've yet to try is 100% PG but I hadn't bothered because this definitely gives me a foggy head.

The weird thing is that at different times I seem to be able to tolerate high levels of PG, VG and nic so it is very hard to pin it down. Perhaps it's not even an allergy but some sort of panic attack associated with ODing?

Has anyone experienced anything like this please?

Thanks

I know how you feel it can be very frustrating and confusing.
I went through the same kind of problems myself. Is it the PG or VG, to much nic or not enough nic? Nothing was ever conclusive. When I first started vaping everything was fine for the first 2-3weeks. Then the problems started see list below.
In order of events. I didn't have all these symptoms at the same time. Thank God Lol
#1 Headaches ...... usually worse in the afternoon.
#2 Spaced out and feeling a little off balance.
#3 Insomnia.
#4 Zits & itchy skin but no rash
#5 Mild anxiety & dizziness
#6 Severe anxiety including major panic attacks
Now for the GOOD NEWS.All of these symptoms disappeared over a period of 5 months. But just like you I couldn't work out what was causing all these problems. As it turned out it WASN'T PG OR VG, NIC RELATED. I smoked analogs for 50 years and my body was detoxing. Yes your still getting the nicotine but not any of the 4000 odd other chemicals that your body has become accustomed to. In my case they were withdrawal symptoms. Your body may take time to adjust.
I've been vaping for 8 months now and the last 3 months without any problems whatsoever.
Now I must emphasize that this was my experience. You may have a very different one. Most people make the transition without major problems.
My advise would be the same as the others. Keep changing your flavors, pg, vg% nic strength to see if it helps.
Drink plenty of water, reduce caffeine intake.
Consult a Doctor if things don't improve soon.
I hope this gives you some encouragement. I went through a lot of unpleasant symptoms. But I'm certain in my case they were withdrawal symptoms and not related to vaping.
Hopefully you will feel better soon. Keep us informed.

 

[aburgUK]

Hi Everybody here is an update,

1. Had some bloodwork done and I have a vitamin deficiency in particular b12. This could certainly have some bearing on the situation and does account for many of the symptoms I have at the moment.

2. Just received some PEG400 based juice. Have literally only just tried it but so far it feels much more comfortable, will let you know how that goes.

3. Have read a few things that suggest that nicotine can help to suppress allergies. I think that with all my experimenting recently I have allowed my nicotine level to drop to very low levels. I actually stopped vaping 4 days ago and have not experienced any noticeable nicotine withdrawal symptoms during that time. I have however experienced an ongoing allergic reaction to something and have been on benadryl full time, very weird!

My conclusion so far is that even after nearly four months, smoking cessation may have exposed some underlying issues that are not vaping related. I am probably allergic to some components of vaping (maybe PG or VG) but that this is being confused by the vitamin deficiencies. Maybe PEG400 will help to narrow down the cause?

 

[aburgUK]

I know how you feel it can be very frustrating and confusing.
I went through the same kind of problems myself. Is it the PG or VG, to much nic or not enough nic? Nothing was ever conclusive. When I first started vaping everything was fine for the first 2-3weeks. Then the problems started see list below.
In order of events. I didn't have all these symptoms at the same time. Thank God Lol
#1 Headaches ...... usually worse in the afternoon.
#2 Spaced out and feeling a little off balance.
#3 Insomnia.
#4 Zits & itchy skin but no rash
#5 Mild anxiety & dizziness
#6 Severe anxiety including major panic attacks
Now for the GOOD NEWS.All of these symptoms disappeared over a period of 5 months. But just like you I couldn't work out what was causing all these problems. As it turned out it WASN'T PG OR VG, NIC RELATED. I smoked analogs for 50 years and my body was detoxing. Yes your still getting the nicotine but not any of the 4000 odd other chemicals that your body has become accustomed to. In my case they were withdrawal symptoms. Your body may take time to adjust.
I've been vaping for 8 months now and the last 3 months without any problems whatsoever.
Now I must emphasize that this was my experience. You may have a very different one. Most people make the transition without major problems.
My advise would be the same as the others. Keep changing your flavors, pg, vg% nic strength to see if it helps.
Drink plenty of water, reduce caffeine intake.
Consult a Doctor if things don't improve soon.
I hope this gives you some encouragement. I went through a lot of unpleasant symptoms. But I'm certain in my case they were withdrawal symptoms and not related to vaping.
Hopefully you will feel better soon. Keep us informed.

Thank you so much for this it is very encouraging and see my post above, you may find it interesting. Also I think that severe panic attacks and stress can maybe cause rashes as well. I can get a reaction just thinking about it now!

 

[aburgUK]

No one seems to have mentioned the flavorings in this equation. People can be allergic or sensitive to the flavorings. Especially cinnamons and custards. I can not vape those flavors. I find I get a heavy chest feeling with high vg juices.

Drink lots of water, no matter what.

Thanks for this, have done a lot of research and am avoiding cinnamons and custards like the plague! Just trying some PEG400 flue cured @ 6mg, so far so good!

 

[Cookie60]

Hmmm...

Nic OD could give you a headache, but that wouldn't be an isolated symptom. If you made yourself nic sick that headache would most likely be combined with other things palpitations, rapid pulse, anxiety or a feeling like caffeine jitters.

I have heard the complaint about feeling foggy or spacey before, but I'm not certain what people are attributing that too. It's a pretty rare complaint.

Do you have allergies already in place? What you are describing don't sound like typical seasonal allergies, but the last couple spring pollen seasons have been absolutely brutal - even if you take antihistamines. What I'm getting at is an added layer of allergic reaction to seasonal junk can make what you are trying to figure out with vaping even more difficult to sort out as to where a seasonal allergy problem leaves off and a vaping issue begins.

I've had headaches, anxiety - big bad jitters - shakiness and general fidgets. it comes and goes and I have read that this can all also happen due to quitting smoking so I was not sure if I should have less nicotine or cut it down. This thread is convincing me to try reducing the nicotine level in the juice and see how that works. I was pretty much a chain smoker, so chain vaping is not so different, but I'm pretty sure I can handle reducing the nic now. It's been three weeks since my last cigarette. Tomorrow I head out to buy even more juice at a lower nic. Would have been so nice to have had this info in an easier to find way, but I am grateful to see the opinions here. Just so terrified that if I screw up, I might get back to those cigarettes, and I so don't want to do that. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

 

[Cookie60]

I know how you feel it can be very frustrating and confusing.
I went through the same kind of problems myself. Is it the PG or VG, to much nic or not enough nic? Nothing was ever conclusive. When I first started vaping everything was fine for the first 2-3weeks. Then the problems started see list below.
In order of events. I didn't have all these symptoms at the same time. Thank God Lol
#1 Headaches ...... usually worse in the afternoon.
#2 Spaced out and feeling a little off balance.
#3 Insomnia.
#4 Zits & itchy skin but no rash
#5 Mild anxiety & dizziness
#6 Severe anxiety including major panic attacks
Now for the GOOD NEWS.All of these symptoms disappeared over a period of 5 months. But just like you I couldn't work out what was causing all these problems. As it turned out it WASN'T PG OR VG, NIC RELATED. I smoked analogs for 50 years and my body was detoxing. Yes your still getting the nicotine but not any of the 4000 odd other chemicals that your body has become accustomed to. In my case they were withdrawal symptoms. Your body may take time to adjust.
I've been vaping for 8 months now and the last 3 months without any problems whatsoever.
Now I must emphasize that this was my experience. You may have a very different one. Most people make the transition without major problems.
My advise would be the same as the others. Keep changing your flavors, pg, vg% nic strength to see if it helps.
Drink plenty of water, reduce caffeine intake.
Consult a Doctor if things don't improve soon.
I hope this gives you some encouragement. I went through a lot of unpleasant symptoms. But I'm certain in my case they were withdrawal symptoms and not related to vaping.
Hopefully you will feel better soon. Keep us informed.

#1-6 is story of my life right now. I guess misery loves company, because it makes me feel a lot better just knowing others have the same story. I look forward to coming out the other side and will work at trying lower nic, etc. in case I can improve situation and relieve some symptoms. On the other hand, it's been 22 days cigarette free, for the first time in 44 years and I really do not miss it at all with vaping. My body is putting up a fuss, but...

 

[Katmar]

Give it time. It does take awhile for the chemicals to leave your brain and body when you quit smoking. Especially if you were a long term, heavy smoker.

STAY HYDRATED......

Careful of the liquids. Some won't agree with you. You have to try a few from different vendors, switching from pg to vg or the other way around, or a combo of the 2. Can get complicated, but so worth it when you find that sweet place and you are feeling better.